Hendrie Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

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Blazons & Genealogy Notes

Origin, Meaning, Family History and Hendrie Coat of Arms and Family Crest

Origins of Hendrie:
The Picts of old Scotland were the tribe of the ancestors of the Hendrie family. The name Hendrie acquired from the personal name Henry. Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, authors spelled according to sound. Spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Hendrie has spelled Hendry, Hendrie, MacHendry, MacHendrick, MacKendrick and much more.

England:
The surname Hendrie first appeared in Fife, where they held a family seat from old times. Some say well before the Norman Invasion and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 AD.

United States of America:
Individuals with the surname Hendrie landed in the United States in the 19th century. Some of the people with the name Hendrie who arrived in the United States in the 19th century included Daniel Hendrie, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) Division, Pennsylvania in the year 1856. William Watson Hendrie, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in the year 1856. Daniel and James Hendrie arrived in Philadelphia in the same year 1858. Archibald Hendrie, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) Division, Pennsylvania in the year 1874.

Australia:
Some of the individuals with the surname Hendrie who landed in Australia in the 19th century included Mary Hendrie, a Scottish prisoner from Glasgow, who brought aboard the “Arnphitrite” in August 1833, settling in New South Wales, Australia.

Hendrie Coat of Arms Meaning

The two main devices (symbols) in the Hendrie blazon are the bend and cupid. The two main tinctures (colors) are gules and ermine.

Gules, the heraldic colour red is very popular, sometimes said to represent “Military Fortitude and Magnanimity”1The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P36. It is usually abbreviated as gu and in the days before colour printing was shown in a system known as hatching by vertical lines 2Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P52. Although it may look like a French word it is normally pronounced with a hard “g” and may be derived either from the Latin gula (throat) or Arabic gule (rose).3A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1847, P154

Ermine is a very ancient pattern, and distinctive to observe. It was borne alone by John de Monfort, the Earl of Richmond and Duke of Brittany in the late 14th century 4A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P69 It has a long association with royalty and the nobility in general and hence represents “Dignity” wherever it is found 5The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P39. The ermine pattern is white with, typically, a three dots and a dart grouping representing the tail of the furred creature.6Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 28. The ermine spot is sometimes found alone as a special charge on the shield.

The bend is a distinctive part of the shield, frequently occuring and clearly visible from a distance – it is a broad band running from top left to bottom right 7Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 39-40. Indeed, so important is the bend that it was the subject of one of the earliest cases before the English Court of Chivalry; the famous case of 1390, Scrope vs Grosvenor had to decide which family were the rightful owners of Azure, a bend or (A blue shield, with yellow bend). 8A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P22. The bend is held in high honour and may signify “defence or protection” and often borne by those of high military rank 9The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P49.

There are occaisional examples of mythical beings or objects illustrated in a coat of arms, either as an image upon the shield, or as a supporter, and the being Cupid is an example of this. Any meaning must really be ascribed from the charateristics of that object, nothing additional is added through their heraldic use. 10The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P124